The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation teamed up with the American Refugee Committee (ARC), Love Army and eDahab mobile money transfer of Dahabshiil, a Somali leading money Transfer Company, in a bid to help those who were most affected by the famine in Somaliland.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the innovative eDahab mobile money transfers facilitated the $1 Million donations in form of immediate and flexible financial support to 1000 families spread all across the country with each getting the sum of $1000.

The money was raised during a fundraising event on the (20th of September 2017) which took place at the premises of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in New York, attracted members of the business community from Africa and all across the globe, political leaders, and representatives of international aid organizations, philanthropists and volunteers among them “Love Army” and world-renowned artists in a bid to help support families in famine-hit areas in Somaliland and Somalia.

During the televised event, the American Refugee Committee (ARC) and Love Army for Somalia jointly oversaw and the distribution of the monetary donation using eDahab mobile money services, which uses SOMTEL telecommunication sim cards, to selected 1000 (heads of households) to support families whose livestock had been wiped out by the severe drought which left thousands of livestock herders in Somaliland, and other Somali areas, in a lamentable situation. The financial support would be used to help them restock herds again in order to support families and eke out a living as they did before.

Among the business leaders those attending the event was Mr. Abdirashid Mohamed Said

Duale , the CEO of Dahabshil group of companies, who was among world leaders in business, politics, technology, and development work carefully selected from around the world the GoalKeepers 17 event.

Mr. Duale expressed his pleasure that Dahabshiil was among the number so honored.

Mr. Abdirashid Mohamed Said Duale, speaking to the VOA’s Somali service noted that eDahab is an innovative mobile service that allows you to upload funds into your mobile and pay for just about anything.

He further stated this kind of technology is crucial in the distribution of funds to support families who are suffering from the drought.

100 Families (from Habaswein) who attended a parallel event, held at the Hido Dhawr Cultural centre in Hargeisa, witnessed the money upload into their mobile phones in a live event watched by participants at the NY Goalkeepers event.

Mr. Fuad Ahmed Nuh, Managing Director of eDahab in Somaliland, highlighted the importance of their service in directly connecting donors based in New York, United States, and the various people who have benefited from donations.

“We provided each of the recipients selected by the American Refugee Committee (ARC) and Love Army with a mobile phone equipped with a somteS card and with few minutes we opened a eDahab account for them so as to upload the funds directly into mobile accounts”, he said.

The 1000 families who benefited from the Bill & Melinda Foundation, this time, were carefully selected from livestock herders whose stocks had been decimated by the recent severe drought in the villages and districts of Habasweyn. Ceeg, Fadhigaab, Oog, Ainabo, Goljanno, Adhi Addeeye, & Gambadhe of Sool and Sanaag regions.

A UN global assessment on food security and nutrition report released in Rome on 16 September stated that number of people hunger puts at risk of losing their lives was up again around the world.

The report, jointly released by FAO, WFP, IFAD, UNICEF and WHO, puts the figure of people who went hungry in 2016 at 815 million – 11% of the world population, 38 million more than that of the previous year.